[cataferal]

Just picked up some AKG K240s, and in general I'm quite pleased. However it was was obvious on my first listen that the sound was noticeably louder on the left side. Even after 10 hours of use, the sound just dominates on that side by about 10% more in volume. So I went through the obvious troubleshooting motions:
 

• I played strictly mono tracks such as The Zombies' Odyssey & Oracle. The imbalance was fairly easy to identify this way.
• Just in case it was my ears, I wore the headphones backwards (right ear on the left can, etc...). Fortunately, the sound then came louder from my right side, so it's most certainly the headphones themselves and not my hearing.
• I tried plugging it into my iPod and PS3, to make sure it wasn't my PC. Same problem.

 
To give you a visual reference of how great the variance is, I took a screenshot of the panning levels I had to use to fix the balance. I did this purely by ear, but with these settings I'm satisfied the sound feels centralized (90% left, 100% right):
 
  
 
Now, obviously this solution is hardly convenient or universal to all applications; I'm not attacking the heart of the issue. If anyone could help me on this, I'm wondering:
 
Questions:

• Has anyone else experienced this on their K240s (or headphones of this price bracket in general)? 
• Should I request a refund now, or is there a chance 50-100 hours of "Burn-in" could fix this?

 
Any advice would be appreciated. I'm quite new to the scene, and it's hard to get a perspective on what should and shouldn't be happening. Thanks 

 

[Armaegis]

If you really think burn-in would fix channel imbalance, you've been reading too much into the hyperbole around these parts. Seriously, you've got a defective headphone. Just return it and get a new one.

 

[cataferal]

 
[size=medium]

[size=medium]

Cheers for the response. Regarding burn-in, it's hard to avoid buying into the hype after reading so many comments/reviews while researching into these phones. The praise is so prevalent, you'd think it could cure cancer. 
 
Oh well. I guess I'll send a request for a refund.
​

[/size]

 
​

[/size]